Our Team
Jonathan is the Founder and agency boss at WANT Branding.
A true subject matter expert on branding with over 30 years’ experience and 2,000 projects in the US, Europe, Asia and Latin America.
His client experience includes assignments for some of the world’s biggest brands including Apple, Google, Royal Caribbean, Disney, Intel, Gillette, Mercedes-Benz, GE, SiriusXM, Hewlett-Packard Enterprise, Staples, Budweiser, IBM, MGM-Resorts, Merrill Lynch, Samsung, Unilever, Delta Air Lines, P&G, Coca-Cola, Dell, Citi, Verizon, Nikon, Wal-Mart, MTV, Disney, Hilton, KFC, 3M, Johnson & Johnson, AT&T, Eli Lilly, Novartis, Pfizer and Quest Diagnostics.
He his a regular attendee at TED and delivered his own TED talk ‘How To Create A Great Brand Name’ at TED2016 in Vancouver. Jonathan’s TED Talk is one of the most-watched videos on the TED YouTube archive with over 1.7M views.
Jonathan is a frequent conference speaker on topics of Branding & Naming in US, Europe and the Middle East. He is a visiting professor at New York’s School of Visual Arts teaching branding classes for the Masters program. In 2017 and 2018 he was invited to speak at The University of Pennsylvania by esteemed professor and NY Times op-ed writer Adam Grant where he taught branding classes to both undergraduates and MBA students.
In 2007 he gave a keynote address on branding at the CityScape real estate conference in Dubai. And, in 2016 he was an invited speaker at Live Nation’s National Sales Conference in Los Angeles where he delivered a keynote speech on brand-building in the entertainment sector. Also in 2016, he was invited by the Wall Street Journal to attend their annual TechLive Summit, an exclusive, three-day forum that brought together an intimate group of one hundred and fifty CEOs, founders, investors, celebrities, actors and luminaries from around the world.
Over the past decades, he has been quoted in articles for Forbes Magazine, American Banker, New York Daily News, Associated Press, Internet World Magazine, The Cincinnati Enquirer, and The New York Post.
For the past four years, he has been a member of the Marketing Hall of Fame Academy– an exclusive group of 250 senior marketers from the corporate, agency, research, and academic worlds. The job of an academy member is to vote on a list of the 40-50 top nominations to produce the shortlist of candidates. This process takes place every fall.
Born and raised in England, Jonathan moved to New York in 1989 to be a summer intern at Interbrand before emigrating to the US full time in 1990. He is now a dual English/American citizen.
He holds a BA from Manchester Metropolitan University in the UK, and MBA from New York University.
He lives with his wife, two teenage children and two dogs.
Jonathan Bell
Renata is General Counsel for WANT. She provides legal support and counsel for senior management on general matters as well as business and contract negotiation.
Prior to joining WANT, Renata helped spearhead the Miami representative office for Pannone, Lopes, Devereaux & West, LLP where she represented government entities and private clients.
Prior to joining PLDW, Renata was Senior Attorney for Holland & Knight LLP and an Associate in the Capital Markets Group of Shearman & Sterling LLP.
Renata earned her J.D. from Boston University School of Law and her LL.M. from Georgetown University. She graduated with honors from Florida International University, with a B.A. in International Relations and English. She is admitted to practice in New York, Florida and the District of Columbia. Ms. Benedini is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese.
Specialities: Contract negotiation; general corporate advice; advising local and international governments; public-private partnerships.
Renata Benedini
Bob Kahn has been the Head of Strategy for WANT Branding since 2012 and in that capacity leads many of the company’s corporate branding assignments that involve positioning, brand narratives and messaging. Among his most recent client engagements are Commvault, PDI, Mavenir, Security Scorecard, Technicolor, SAIC, SoClean, Solar Winds, Smarsh, American Broadband and OneKey.
Bob is well-known in the marketing community and has worked on an extensive array of large-scale international engagements in 20+ countries. In his roles at top agencies, including Ogilvy, McCann, Landor and FutureBrand, he has worked for many of the world’s most prominent brands, including American Express, Goldman Sachs, Exxon Mobil, General Motors, IBM, GE, Coca-Cola, Lufthansa and Air Canada.
His branding experience began at Landor in San Francisco where he co-ran the U.S. Corporate Identity Practice working on assignments for Hyatt, Hilton, and GE. Subsequently, Bob became one the six original founders of Futurebrand where he led global new business and the company’s airline practice. One of his most prominent achievements was the leadership of a 3-year global repositioning for Saudi Aramco, working directly with the CEO and the Kingdom’s oil minister. Following 10 years at FutureBrand, Bob became MD of Ogilvy’s BIG (Brand Integration Group), working alongside its well-known creative leader, Brian Collins, on breakthrough concepts such as the Hershey store in Times Square, and a rebranding of Coca-Cola and Sprite.
He subsequently shifted to the client side as CMO of private aviation leader NetJets, a Berkshire Hathaway company, where he led a 25-person marketing department during a period that resulted in a company turnaround from a loss of over $700M to a profit of over $200M.
Bob has a BA from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from Pepperdine; is past President and Board Member of the American Marketing Association New York and co-chair of the Marketing Hall of Fame.
Bob Kahn
Sandra has spent over 25 years in both Europe and the US creating, managing and implementing branding programs for a full range of international companies. Her strong creative vision, strategic approach and collaborative nature have allowed her to build and guide diverse creative teams, manage client relationships and inspire new ways of problem solving. Sandra is distinctive within her industry because she is able to weave visual and verbal identity together to express creative ideas. It is this skill that she has, and continues to utilize, to win and grow great projects.
Throughout her career, Sandra has worked on branding and marketing programs for Walmart, Canon, eBay, American Express, Sony Entertainment, Microsoft, Motorola, Turner Broadcasting & AT&T.
Sandra has her own successful branding agency and has also held senior creative positions in some of the most renowned global branding agencies. As Creative Director at Interbrand, Sandra’s creative insight and leadership skills enabled her to manage, inspire and develop a strong creative team. Sandra also held senior positions at Wolff-Olins and Siegel & Gale prior to joining Want Branding. She graduated in Visual Communication from Edinburgh University.
Sandra Hill
Cheina is the Lead Creative at WANT, supporting the strategy and creative teams across a full range of Brand Strategy, Brand Naming, and Brand Identity projects. She has led and contributed to high-profile branding initiatives for organizations such as the UN, Cisco, POLITICO, Eucerin, CVS, Panasonic, and Capital One, among others.
With a background that blends creative leadership and strategic thinking, she has played a pivotal role in shaping brand identities across both B2B and B2C markets.
Before joining WANT, she held creative management roles at Red Bull, Liberty Fairs, Benefit Cosmetics, and BABE Wine, where she drove brand storytelling and experiential marketing. She also spent three years at Apple as a Creative, leading Today at Apple sessions and helping customers discover how Apple products could enhance their creative potential. During her time at Apple, she immersed herself in the brand’s culture, honing her ability to inspire creativity, build meaningful customer relationships, and develop impactful business solutions.
Outside of work, Cheina loves to travel with her three-year-old Labrador-Mastiff, Greco, and enjoys capturing memories with her Polaroid camera. She also has a deep appreciation for classic films and never misses an episode of Jeopardy!
She graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Florida / New World School of the Arts.
Cheina Ramos
With a decade of experience in market research, brand and business strategy, and international marketing, John has worked across advertising agencies, startups, and Fortune 100 corporations.
His career began at Doner, where he contributed to account management, strategy, and market research. While there, he played a key role in planning and executing international research for companies like Eli Lilly, Perkins, Best Buy, and The UPS Store. Later, he transitioned to a planning and strategy role, supporting brands such as McCormick, Yamaha Motors, Ovation Brands, and Walsh College. Notably, he led the account and strategy team in launching the Yamaha FSH—the first jet-powered, center-console boat.
After leaving Doner to pursue an MBA at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, John joined UPS as an analyst in international marketing, focusing on investment prioritization in the APAC market for the SME sector.
Following UPS, he took on a leadership role at BruVue, a Raleigh-based inventory management startup that won Heineken’s Innovators Brewhouse Challenge. As head of marketing and sales, he worked to expand the company’s customer base across the Southeast.
Since joining WANT in 2019, John has led projects for clients including the UN, Cisco, Qlik, Trimble, SK, PDI, SoClean, Commvault, HPE, Dell, SAIC, SolarWinds, Southeastern Mills, Five Below, Housecall Pro, Uber, and more.
A graduate of the University of Florida with an MBA from UNC-Chapel Hill, he spends his free time outdoors—skiing, surfing, and traveling to new places.
John Downey
Olee Fowler is a marketing and branding consultant who has spent more than 15 years in marketing, branding, communications, and public relations roles in a range of industries that includes real estate, retail, technology, art, and more.
Her marketing career began in public relations working with high-profile clients like Soho Beach House, Kimpton Hotels, W South Beach, and EWM Realty. Following her time in public relations, she moved to the marketing department at the Miami Design District, a new luxury shopping and art-focused neighborhood, where she helped to create, define, and oversee the marketing strategy for the the area, which has quickly become one of the most talked-about neighborhoods in the country.
Most recently, Olee spent five years leading marketing and branding at art-meets-technology ventures Superblue and Artechouse, building both marketing departments from the ground up. Along the way, she enjoyed a decade-long run as editor of Eater Miami, keeping locals in the know about the city’s ever-evolving restaurant scene. Her writing has found its way into the Miami Herald, Miami New Times, Design District Magazine, TimeOut, and WHERE Traveler.
Olee is a proud University of Florida alumna and when she isn’t working can usually be found cheering on her beloved Gator football team, taking her pups Foster and Peanut to the dog park, and volunteering for Ruth’s List Miami, an organization dedicated to training, mentoring, and electing women to all levels of office in Florida.
Olee Fowler
Nina is an Analyst at WANT, providing insights and analysis to support the brand strategy and brand naming teams. She also manages the new business department and oversees all business opportunities.
Nina began her career at WANT in early 2022 as a Planner, completing a range of assignments in both the B2B and B2C space. Her achievements include work for such companies as: Unilever, Technicolor, Five Below, Aegis Ventures, & more.
Nina is passionate about all things branding and is always thrilled to pursue new projects and expand her skill set.
Nina was born and raised in Miami, FL. When she is not in the office, she loves to spend her free time at the beach, in the kitchen, or trying new restaurants around town.
She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Florida International University in 2021 with a Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations & Advanced Communication and a minor in Advertising.
Nina Chonin
Emily Swenson is a Chicago-based creative who specializes in graphic design and art direction. Currently, her work focuses on creating highly conceptual and thoughtfully crafted visual identities through various print and digital media. She develops design strategies and collateral for the creative teams and offers additional support in Brand Creation, Naming, and Strategy.
Prior to joining WANT, she served as a Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Gelée Magazine, a student-led creative collective that focused on promoting and celebrating young artists within Gainesville, Florida. Throughout her time with Gelée, she directed a team of over 50 creatives and led the visual direction of all digital and print campaigns. Through her dedication and vision, she not only elevated the profiles of countless young artists but also left an indelible mark on the artistic scene of the region.
Emily is a native Floridian and a proud alumna of the University of Florida, having graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design.
Emily Swenson
Anita is an experienced digital content creator with over 15 years in the industry, and is committed to delivering innovative and impactful content solutions for her clients.
As the founder of Anita & Co., a content agency specializing in video editing, animation, graphic design, social media, and paid media services, she has collaborated with prominent clients including FedEx, Amazon, Citibank, Google, and McDonald’s.
Anita has held leadership positions both in corporate settings and in her own endeavors. She spearheaded the Digital Content department at Banco del Sol, overseeing a dedicated team. She served as managing partner of LAB Studio in Argentina for over 2 years, with headquarters in Spain. Additionally, she co-founded ventures such as Fusion Lab, focusing on 2D and 3D content in Colombia, and Opa! Producciones, a video production company in Argentina.
Anita holds a degree in Art Direction in Advertising from the Argentine Advertising Association. She has also completed courses and certifications in artificial intelligence, professional audio and video editing, animation, digital marketing, and more.
Outside of work, Anita enjoys traveling and engaging in adventure sports like kayaking, canyoning, rafting, and skydiving.
Anita Fuxman Bass
Orlando Alonso is a brand consultant and member of the business development team at WANT. He has a strong track record of bringing together like minded leaders to facilitate and execute deals in diverse business areas such as industrials to entertainment to crypto.
His experience includes development deals for numerous leading companies including broadcaster PBS, Crypto exchange FTX, and publisher National Geographic.
Born in Cuba, Orlando lives in New York and is fluent in Spanish and English.
Orlando Alonso
Rob Siegal is a consumer insights expert, with over 25 years of experience in the field. Nothing makes him happier professionally than getting his hands dirty with data to help his clients achieve success. He develops customizable research products that solve the unique issues facing businesses today.
Rob brings a variety of industry experience, including healthcare, fitness & wellness, restaurant& food service, consumer packaged goods, retail, higher education, advertising, beverages, resort & lodging, and outdoor sports equipment & apparel.
Rob has worked on a variety of healthcare branding projects, including for Anschutz Medical Center, Carolinas Healthcare System, HonorHealth and Sharp Healthcare. Branding research for healthcare providers can be complicated, requiring the use of multiple target audiences. Rob effectively synthesizes various target audience insights into a cohesive brand evaluation.
Professionally, Rob has been an insights provider and also an insights user in product
management and new product development roles. He brings a perspective of not only what the insights mean, but how clients can most effectively use those insights.
Rob has a BA in Statistics from the University of Michigan and an MBA in Marketing from the University of Colorado. When he’s not solving problems for his clients, you can find him
enjoying the Colorado mountains with his family.
